For Beltre, DH spot is considered a start

BALTIMORE — The word from Adrian Beltre on Monday was that his left hamstring was good enough, and that was good enough for manager Ron Washington to put Beltre back in the Texas Rangers' lineup.

Beltre started for the first time in five games in the opener of a four-game series against Baltimore. He was the designated hitter, a spot he will hold until he is deemed fit to play third base.

Washington said that could be as soon as tonight, but he didn't set a date for the Gold Glove winner's return to the infield. Beltre took an extensive set of grounders during early batting practice and was moving well, Washington said.

Beltre has plenty of experience nursing hamstring injuries. He suffered two strains last summer and was not at full speed when he returned Sept. 1.

Don't expect to see him scoring from first base on a double anytime soon. But he couldn't take sitting on the bench much longer.

"There's no doubt that I know how to play with it," said Beltre, who pinch-hit in four of the games he didn't start. "I'm going to be limping, for sure, to protect it."

Brandon Snyder started at third base in his first game back to Baltimore since being acquired by the Rangers in the off-season. Washington said that was not a factor in his decision to start Snyder.

No lack of confidence

Nelson Cruz is likely to remain in the lineup without a day off to rest his body and mind even though he entered Monday mired in an 8-for-53 slump.

The right fielder, though, insists that he feels comfortable at the plate, and his confidence hasn't been shaken by a skid that included two hits in 22 at-bats.

"Why would I get frustrated?" said Cruz, who hasn't homered since April 17 but upped his average from .216 to .235 by going 3-for-4 on Monday. "I know what I can do. I can't be frustrated. There's nothing I can do but keep working."

Cruz is the only Rangers player who has been in the field for every game this season, and Ron Washington wants to give him a day off. But with Beltre and Josh Hamilton missing games last week and their immediate health a concern, Cruz's bat will stay in the lineup.

"He's just got to keep working, and I'll keep sending him out there," Washington said. "He's one of the guys we've got a saddle on. We've just got to wait on him."

Uehara upswing

Right-hander Koji Uehara was back at Camden Yards for the first time since he was dealt by the Orioles to the Rangers for Chris Davis and Tommy Hunter on July 30.

Though it hasn't been a full season, so much has changed that Uehara didn't feel all that romantic about his return.

"Half of them [the Orioles] I don't know anymore," said Uehara, whose family lives in Baltimore. "We're on opposing teams now."

Uehara is enjoying perhaps his finest stretch with the Rangers since the trade, having retired 15 consecutive hitters over his past five outings. He has seen his split-fingered fastball dive out of the zone more and his fastball show more life, but the No. 1 key has been his health.

"He's feeling fresh," Ron Washington said. "The way his 89 is jumping is the way I remember it jumping. When he got to us, it wasn't jumping."